UV to bubbles to photosynthesis precursor?
- From: TomHendricks474@xxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006 13:54:29 -0500 (EST)
Here's one from 2005 that is worth a look. I again zeroed in on
the UV aspect:
www.astrobio.net/news/article1702
These experiments suggest that UV and other forms of radiation provide the
energy needed to break apart chemical bonds in the low temperatures and
pressures of the dense clouds. Because the atoms are still locked in ice, the
molecules don't fly apart, but instead recombine into more complex structures.
In another experiment led by Jason Dworkin, a frozen mixture of water,
methanol, ammonia and carbon monoxide was subjected to UV radiation. This
combination yielded organic material that formed bubbles when immersed in water. These
bubbles are reminiscent of cell membranes that enclose and concentrate the
chemistry of life, separating it from the outside world.
The bubbles produced in this experiment were between 10 to 40 micrometers, or
about the size of red blood cells. Remarkably, the bubbles fluoresced, or
glowed, when exposed to UV light. Absorbing UV and converting it into visible
light in this way could provide energy to a primitive cell. If such bubbles
played a role in the origin of life, the fluorescence could have been a precursor
to photosynthesis.
.
- Prev by Date: Re: Pyrite and the OOL
- Next by Date: Re: When did human races split?
- Previous by thread: When did human races split?
- Next by thread: The Emperors New Clothes 2006 (with apologies to Hans Christian Anderson)
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
|
